Barnsdale Hall Wedding | Savannah & Ryan | Rugby

On the 17th August 2018, Savannah & Ryan opted for a shorter booking by having me capturing their wedding day from the ceremony until the firework display. Their beautiful ceremony was held at Saint Mary the Virgin, at Burrough-on-the-Hill, Melton Broadway in Leicestershire.

"What struck me was his effortless, natural and in the moment style of photography, in addition to the editing style of his pics was just what I was looking for! I 100% recommend Martin, he is so talented and will make whatever your occasion look even more incredible than it is in real life." - Savannah

The Ceremony

I began the day with capturing the groom as he awaited his beautiful bride inside the church with his groomsmen and then waited outside with the bridesmaids and mother of the bride for her arrival. It was a lovely short ceremony and my favourite moment captured was when she walked down the aisle, Ryan started to well up and got all emotional. It was a lovely moment to see and capture.

The Helicopter

After the ceremony, we travelled to Barnsdale Hall in Rutland for the reception, with the knowledge of a very special surprise for their guests. Like a scene out of a movie, the couple decided to travel to their wedding reception via a helicopter! It was great moment to capture the arrival of the helicopter as it kicked up the leaves, with Ryan waving to the guests gathered together in a clearing overlooking Rutland Water. I captured the newlyweds greeting their guests before arranging the first quick couple shoot. With the couple in front of it and then around the venue before heading back to the reception.

THE RECEPTION

Following the quick couple shoot I captured the guests at the Wedding Breakfast, and set about capturing all the beautiful and personal wedding decor. After the lovely speeches and capturing the reactions of their guests, I took a short break. During this break its a great chance for me to scope out the best spot for the family group photos. I trick I use, is to make sure the couples-to-be have prepared a list of group arrangements and coordinate with one of the honour attendants. This allows for an efficient process, so the couple can spend more time with their loved ones, rather than standing around for posed family shots. In addition, the couple expressed they didn't want these to be too posed or formal so we had a bit of fun creating a great experience for their guests.

Following this, we decided to have an intimate couple shoot around the venue. Using both a mixture of natural light and external flash we had a great shoot. As you can see in the images below, at one point I used the bouquet in front of my lens to create an interesting effect to soften their images.

Finally it was time for their first dance. And for the party to begin. It was lovely to capture the newlyweds with their guests around the dancefloor, and even got an honorary photo with the couple using one of their instamax polaroid cameras, that they had set up, and left them some kind words wishing them the best for the future.

To end the night, the couple arranged for a magnificent firework display. Shortly before this, I arranged the guests into a sparkler tunnel to capture the couple walking down to the gazebo. It was a really fun way to capture the end of the journey and I hope you like the images as much as I do :) One of my favourite memories, was overhearing one of the guests exclaiming "you shall not pass!" - a reference to Lord of the Rings, if you haven't watched the amazing series :)